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Why Journal?
Journaling is what separates the scrapbook from a photo album. You can have
page layouts that are adorable and creative, but have you completely
preserved the memories for future generations? Wouldn’t you like to know
what your great-grandmother thought when your mother was born? Did she wish
for a boy? Was she excited to have a daughter? Did she have everything ready
for her new baby when she came home?
This is what journaling is all about. A picture may be
worth a thousand words, but preserving the thoughts and feelings of the
people in the picture is worth a whole lot more!
Describe your photos
When determining what to
write on your pages try to answer these questions:
A. When
B. Where
C. How
D. Why
Like a journalist, you are recording history and you need
to keep in mind that in the future people might not know that “Kate” was
your neighbor for 25 years. You may not even remember her last name
when she moves!
Always reread your journaling as if you a stranger to your
life and do not know anything about what has happened. Imagine someone is
looking over your shoulder as you journal and they ask you information about
what happened in the photo. Explain as you would to that person, about the
photo.
Keep memories alive
Tips for keeping
Journaling accurate:
A. When you pick-up your photos, take a few minutes and
write a brief description of each photo and put it in the photo envelope.
B. Keep a calendar by your bed and each day write as if in
a journal about what happened that day....this is particularly effective
when planning events...such as weddings, parties, and so on. You can refer
to this journal to get specific information.
C. Include a Calendar page in each scrapbook that allows
you to “fill in” information which you couldn’t put on the pages. For
example, "Kate is my neighbor and we became the best of friends after we met
in 1976. This book is about our friendship."
Include lots of stuff...
Don't limit your journaling to just the who, what,
when, where, and why. Those are important pieces of information, but you
should also include the things that shaped the moment... such as the
weather, feelings, someone funny that was said or happened that day,
anything that will enhance the pictures for others.
If you can't think of anything to
write, take a break from that page and work on creating new pages for
awhile. Return to journaling later and ask yourself, “How do I feel about
this picture?” Jot down all the adjectives that you tell yourself about the
subject and then you have the outline for great journaling!
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